Dribbling about basketball

By Obnoxious John | Feb 17, 2010

Now that football is off the radar for 6 months or so,
college basketball and the opening of the 2010 baseball season begin taking
shape.

It’s already begun but concerning the NCAA Final Four, in
terms of promotion, advertising and hyperbole ‘you ain’t seen nothin’ yet’, as
the best sports tournament in the world (my opinion only) approaches.

What with Kansas at 24 victories to go with the single
defeat, relying on the time tested method of a big man in the middle, followed
by perennial and traditional college basketball power Kentucky, also at 24-1,
the tournament would seem to be match made in heaven, assuming these two giants
end up on the same floor in Indianapolis on April 5th.

But long time observers of the Final Four know danger lies
ahead for all teams in the tournament. Not since the days of John Wooden’s
reign has there ever really been a team you wouldn’t bet against. Once his
string ran out, the playing field seemed to level off and no one team has
really dominated the sport since his Bruins did.

So who knows? Will we see Kansas and Kentucky face off in
the battle of hard consonants? Or will it be perhaps Washington’s own
Gonzaga?If nothing their name is
at least as interesting as any in the country. Maybe it’ll be with one of those
teams from that conference in the middle of the country, you know, the
conference that can’t count? Seems they have four teams in the top 25 rankings
I looked at as I wrote this (2/15). But strangely enough, and it really is
strange, there are no team from the Pac-10 in the rankings. In fact, there are
no teams even getting ANY votes to be in the Top 25.

Sports, like most things in life are cyclical. This is the
first time in about 20 years that this has happened.

If only real life was like the movie Hoosiers where a team
like Washington State could get into the tournament and shock the world! But
alas, it’s not. So when it’s time to play the office Final Four pool, stay with
the favorites and pick someone off the Top 25 list to win.

But keep the faith, the Pac 10 will return. And when they
do, they might be the Pac 12.